1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to mechanical structures and associated methodology for providing shade and ultraviolet (UV) protection in various outdoor environments play areas, auto parking, sports fields, theme parks, country clubs and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Shade structures are well-known in the art and provide shade--hail, snow, water, heat and UV protection in numerous applications: automobile dealerships, auto parking facilities, water parks, playgrounds, swimming pool areas, tennis courts, outdoor eating areas, amusement parks, and the like. Providing shade has become increasingly significant throughout the United States and abroad because of ever changing and indeterminate weather conditions and the increasing awareness of skin cancer caused by the harmful UV rays from sunlight. Conventional shade structures typically comprise a mechanical support structure made of reinforced steel, and a covering made of high density polyethylene cloth having UV additives. The support structure is designed to handle loading due to wind, snow, hail and other elements in accordance with the local building codes. The structures are often designed in different configurations depending on the desired application. Thus, for example, a dome structure may be used with the roofs on surrounding buildings are curved or there are curved lines present in the design of the building. A hip structure is commonly used to enhance the roofline of surrounding buildings. A pyramid structure is often used when the desired shade area is square.
Another common structure is a cantilever. In this structure as illustrated generally in FIG. 1, each of a set of central support posts 100a-n are provided with a pair of outwardly-extending trusses 102a-b. Each truss 102 is generally triangular in shape and includes a plurality of cross support beams 104 in a known configuration. The shade 106 extends from an apex 108 outward to an edge 110 of each truss 102. In the prior art, the shade 106 typically includes a cable or rope 112 inside an outside pocket 114. During installation, the shade is positioned over the trusses and pulled taut, and the cable is then secured to an outer perimeter beam 116 in each truss section using a fastener or other mechanical locking means.
With this design, however, it is often difficult to position the shade in an attractive and secure manner along the outer perimeter beam in each truss section. If the shade is not secured properly, it may be damaged during subsequent use and thus compromise the aesthetic appearance and physical integrity of the structure.
The present invention addresses this problem.